Latest Articles about The Caucasus
Azerbaijan’s Oldest Opposition Party Fragments
Azerbaijan’s oldest and, by many standards, the strongest opposition party –Musavat– continues to experience a massive outflow of its key members. For the first time since the party restored its functioning in Azerbaijan in 1992, four senior and dozens of ordinary party operatives have left... MORE
A Portrait of Chechen Rebel Commander Hussein Gakaev
Background Hussein Vakhaevich Gakaev (a.k.a. Amir Mansur) was born on July 8, 1970, in the village of Kalinovskaya of the Naur district of the Chechen Republic bordering Mozdok, North Ossetia. His identification card states that he is a resident of the village of Elistanzhi in... MORE
Airport Attack Shows Russian Government’s Failure to Provide a Clear Road Map to a Safer Future
On January 29, Vladimir Markin, the spokesman for the Russian Investigative Committee, announced that investigators had determined the identity of the perpetrator of the bombing of Domodedovo airport in Moscow, which took place on January 24. According to official information, a suicide bomber detonated explosives... MORE
Moscow Airport Attack: Carried Out by Nogai Militants Trained in Pakistan?
No individual or group has yet claimed responsibility for the suicide bombing at Moscow’s Domodedovo Airport on January 24, which killed 35 people and wounded at least 125. However, the Russian media has been full of the theories and rumors about who may have been... MORE
Ingush in 2010: The Insurgency Remains a Potent Force
According to independent sources, who summarized their findings based on reports that have been officially published in the media by Russian authorities, Ingushetia had the second largest number of victims of violence in the North Caucasus in 2010, an unfortunate outcome similar to what happened... MORE
Russia Faces Multiple Terrorist Threats
The Domodedovo airport bombing on January 24, that left 35 dead, including the alleged suicide bomber and more than 100 injured – Russians and foreigners – has overshadowed other important political events: the final ratification of the START III arms control treaty by both houses... MORE
The Most Important Development in the North Caucasus in 2010: Russians Begin Talking About Letting It Go
The most important development concerning the North Caucasus in 2010 did not occur there or even on the streets of Moscow. Rather, it took place in the minds of an increasing number of Russians who have concluded that the costs – economic, political and human... MORE
Terrorism Cycle Repeats Itself With Another Moscow Bombing
On January 24, an explosive device detonated in the arrivals area of Moscow’s Domodedovo international airport. A suicide bomber with an explosive device equivalent to 5-7 kilograms of TNT allegedly caused the blast. At least 35 people died in the attack and over 100 persons... MORE
Zhirinovsky Statements Infuriate Regional Leaders in the North Caucasus
On January 21, the first meeting of the Russian governmental commission on socio-economic development of the North Caucasus took place in Moscow. The chair of the commission, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin stated that the government and major Russian companies would invest significant resources into the... MORE
Violence Reported in Dagestan, Kabardino-Balkaria, Chechnya and Ingushetia
Insurgency-related violence continued in the North Caucasus this past week, particularly in Dagestan. A homemade bomb went off near a department store in the city of Khasavyurt around one in the morning. No one was injured but the store was significantly damaged. That same day... MORE